


Zuzana’s Eating Habits

by Catheeso



Category: Crown of Demons
Genre: Angels, Demon!Carter, Demons, DnD AU, Elf, Gen, Half-Demon, Kitsune, and whatever the fuck Ben is, just a random au with me and my friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:54:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27273013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catheeso/pseuds/Catheeso
Summary: “This was the fourth village they had gone to where as soon as they offered their help, a villager hit him over the head with a cross. One time the whole village tried to pray him away. It didn’t work because he was still in his human body, unlike Sequiera, but Sequiera was half-human so the only thing it did was give her a minor headache.”
Kudos: 2





	Zuzana’s Eating Habits

“Demon!” a villager shouted, smacking him over the head with a wooden cross. He yelped and jumped back. Bre laughed loudly at him. 

“Why is it always me who gets hit by a cross?” he whined. “I’m probably the most human-looking out of any of us!”

“Do you want a list of clearly demon things or was that rhetorical?” Ben asked with a smug grin. 

“Sequiera’s a demon and you don’t see her getting hit with a cross everytime we go into a village! What’s their problem with _me_?” Carter protested. 

“I’m better than you,” Sequiera replied. Carter scowled and flicked his spade-tipped tail in irritation.

This was the fourth village they had gone to where as soon as they offered their help, a villager hit him over the head with a cross. One time the whole village tried to pray him away. It didn’t work because he was still in his human body, unlike Sequiera, but Sequiera was half-human so the only thing it did was cause her a minor headache. He used to be human but then soul-stealing shenanigans happened and now he’s stuck like this. It was inconvenient.

It wasn’t like anybody in their group was human. Bre was an elf-like person, Sydney had traits of a kitsune, Sequiera was half-demon, and he didn’t even know what the fuck Ben was. An orange maybe? Then there was him, the used-to-be human who’s now a pissed off demon. Why were they even helping people? It’s not like the villagers really appreciate the help of a demon. 

“We’re here to help,” Sequiera told the villagers, smiling kindly. It was a nice smile considering it wasn’t full of the normal bladed teeth. Sequiera got off lightly on the demon traits, really. She only has the slightly pointed teeth (nothing like his) and horns that look like they’re from a ram. Other than that, she’s human. 

He did not get off lightly. Sharp horns, a demon tail, slit eyes, and dagger-like teeth. The perfect image of a demon.

“Help how?” the chief asked suspiciously, still glaring at him. 

“We heard there was a disturbance in your village. We thought we could sort it out,” Sydney explained. “Trust me, it’s what we’re good at.” 

“Wait, are you the band of outsiders that have been slaying the monsters in the other villages?” a man asked. “I’ve heard of you from the traders!”

“That’s us! And we do it for free,” Ben beamed. “I mean, unless you have some extra money you could-”

Bre hit him upside the head to shut him up. “Ignore him. We do it for free. What monster’s bothering you?”

A lady with long black hair pushed her way to the front of the crowd, eyes flicking all of them. A tiny child trailed after her. When her gaze landed on him, she gasped loudly and pulled the child against her. 

“That demon has been eating our children!” she cried. “I remember him! He ate my daughter!” 

Carter blinked. 

“What? Why on earth would I eat your children? Adults taste phenomenally better.”

The villagers were silent for a moment. Then they roared and picked him up. He struggled against their hands in wordless protests, but they held on tight. A well appeared on the top of the hill they were hauling him up. 

“CJ!” Bre shouted. “Hey, assholes! Put him down! He doesn’t eat people!”

“Throw the monster in the well!” an elder yelled. The villagers who weren’t currently trying to throw him into the well cheered, echoing the old man’s words. 

“Put me down! I don’t eat babies!” he hissed, fighting the urge to straight-up bite one of them. “You’ve got the wrong guy!”

“A likely story,” one of the men said. 

“It lies!” another accused. 

“It just hissed at me!” a woman shrieked. 

“I have a name! And I’m not an ‘it’!” he glared, kicking wildly at the legs of the people carrying him. The stone well looked old and dirty, stones falling apart. It was probably ancient. He _really_ didn’t want to be thrown into a disease-ridden well. 

Before they could toss him in, a knife whizzed past and embedded itself in the rotting tree next to the well. The crowd momentarily stopped and turned to the small throwing knife. 

“Stop,” a voice commanded. It wasn’t one of his friends and he didn’t remember any of the villagers having that kind of voice. It sounded deep, unnaturally so. An unearthly tone was hidden just beneath the surface. He sniffed the air. Angel. Purebred. They smelled of earth. “Listen to him.”

“Sister,” Carter drawled, looking upside down at the new person. Lara scoffed.

“I’m not your sister.”

“Seems pretty sus that you’re coming to save me despite being an angel. Or should I say, pretty sis?”

The whole group groaned. 

“I’m not gonna even dignify that with an answer,” Lara sighed. “What is the problem this time?”

“Apparently, I eat babies now.”

“Honestly, I’m not surprised. Sounds like something you would do.” 

“Baby-eater,” Bre teased. 

The villagers were still stuck staring at Lara. Which was fair considering she looked like the classic definition of an angel, halo and all. He hoped they took her as a sign that they’ve got the wrong guy. After all, she’s an angel defending a demon.

“Why am I always saving you?” she asked him flatly. 

“Because I’m not allowed to kill people,” Carter grumbled, pointing at the bracelet on his wrist. He had originally been a wild card in the group, overpowered and dangerous with no regard for life. Lara had stepped in and put the bracelet on him which didn’t allow him to kill anyone, no matter how much he would like to. Whenever he moved to strike a killing blow, the bracelet would paralyze him for a moment. It was like a slap on the wrist except there was no slap and it made it so fun wasn’t allowed. 

“I mean, unless you take the bracelet off.” He put on his best puppy-dog eyes, looking pleadingly at Lara. Lara, being an angel who had lived for thousands of years, was not impressed. 

The villagers all let go of him and took a step back, glancing nervously between the two of them. 

“You could’ve let them throw him down the well,” Ben remarked, walking up next to Carter. He still glared at the villagers when he passed, silently letting them know he was not happy with them trying to kill off his friend. Would the fall even kill him? He never got the chance to see how far down the well went. 

The chief walked up and bowed down in front of Carter. “I am so sorry, demon. Will you forgive us for our brashness?” 

“You tried to throw me down a well because I’m a demon and have brown hair,” Carter said incredulously. “And you want me to just forgive you?”

The chief shifted nervously. Carter studied him for a minute before shrugging.

“Yeah, sure.”

The whole crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief at the prospect of not being murdered by an angry demon. Not that he could murder them. The point still stands.

“Now, can you _accurately_ tell us how we can help?” asked Bre. 

“He comes by every full moon,” an old woman said, shuffling forwards using her wooden cane. She was hunched over with greying hair, squinting at them. “Weary travelers, you must be careful. He will surely steal one of you.”

“Watch out you three,” Carter snarked, turning to the three girls. It seemed that him and Ben were safe this time around. 

“Do not be so ignorant, demon,” the old woman snapped, pointing her cane at his nose. “He will take your presence as an insult. You are invading on his territory. Not only that, you reek of past human stink. That half-demon might be safe, but you will not.”

“Past human stink?!” Carter bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Your eyes. They are one like a cat’s. You have not been demon your entire existence, have you?” 

He snarled, clenching his fists. “That doesn’t matter!”

The old woman shook her head and limped away. The chief looked at him sympathetically. He resisted the urge to glare at the chief as well. 

“Please excuse Lady Marge. She’s paranoid nowadays, a lot of monsters have attacked this village in her lifetime. She tends to make assumptions.”

“She’s probably right, though,” Lara replied. “Another demon might not take too kindly to your presence, Carter.” 

“Nobody takes kindly to my presence,” Carter grumbled, crossing his arms. 

“It’s a full moon tonight, isn’t it?” asked Sydney. “What should we do?”

“I must leave before nightfall,” Lara reminded them, taking her small silver dagger out of the tree she had thrown it at. “But keep in mind what Lady Marge said. Bait might not be a bad idea.”

She then vanished in the blink of an eye. His friends looked over at him. 

“I’m not gonna be bait!” Carter protested. 

“You don’t have to be bait,” Bre reasoned. “You just have to be bait.”

“That’s- ugh, fine. Whatever. Just take this stupid bracelet off of me and let me handle this guy on my own,” Carter said. 

“You know we can’t do that,” Sydney replied. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was trying to convey how stupid of him it was to ask. 

“You have a staff, use it!” Ben added. He slung his arm over Carter’s shoulder, making him hiss and bat Ben away. 

“I’m not gonna use my staff to fight a _territorial_ demon, what are you guys? Crazy?” He turned to Sequiera. “You should know! You were raised by demons!” 

“Which is why you’re the perfect bait,” Sequiera said. 

“Forget it. I’m not doing it.”

* * *

Carter kicked at the dry dirt on the pathway, in the middle of the pathway that leads into the town. His staff was held tightly in his hands as he watched the land, looking for any sign of the demon. The sun was setting, casting and orange glow over everything. He squinted. 

A little ways away, he could feel the watchful eyes of his friends. Ben had his bow out and an arrow already held in it while Bre had her sickles ready to pull him out if the going got too tough. Sequiera sat close by, only there if the demon detected them since her katana was only for close range.

He could also feel the watchful eyes of a disguised Sydney and the villagers in the far building. He could smell the fear coming off them in waves as they probably shook, waiting for the nightmare that had been their past year to be over. 

A figure appeared in the distance as the sun finally lowered itself down the horizon, the last shines of her glow fading. They were bathed in unnatural moonlight, shining and heavy with the scent of blood and demon. He was the one eating the children. Carter could smell his evilness from over here. 

He paused at the entrance to the village, peering curiously at Carter. He didn’t move to attack and didn’t even seem angry that Carter was on his land, despite what Lady Marge said. 

“My name is Zuzana,” he greeted politely, slowly walking towards Carter. “I did not know there was another demon in town. Who are you?”

Zuzana’s voice was silky and smooth, an invitation to respond. 

“Carter,” he said shortly. He knew this trick. Saying names was the easiest way to taunt another demon, to tear them apart in the head. Learn the demon’s name and you can insert yourself into their psyche, breaking and killing them from the inside out. Only a fool would reply to another demon asking for a name, but Carter was the king’s jester and he wasn’t backing down. 

“A human name, interesting. And what is such filth doing on _my_ land?” Zuzana’s voice turned sharp and steely. There was the anger the elder predicted. Now, all he had to do was get the baby-eater riled up for Ben to take the shot. 

“ _Your_ land?” Carter snorted. “All of this land belongs to you? All of these people’s lives belongs to _you_? Don’t kid yourself. You’re nothing but a ravager, a vulture preying on people who can’t defend themselves. You’re scared to try and kill adults, aren’t you? You’re scared they’re too powerful for you. If you’re afraid that simple human adults are too powerful for you, then you have no claim to this land.”

“It’s not like you have any claim to this land, human-heart.” Zuzana’s lips were pulled back, revealing his sharp teeth as he growled. It was meant to be a threatening gesture, but Carter had seen far more intimidating creatures than a demon who hunts on the weak. 

“I’m not claiming to, unlike you,” Carter responded coolly. “I have no time to delude myself with the opinion that I am better than others. That their land deserves to be mine. I certainly have no time to pretend to be a king amongst other demons.” 

“Are you saying that you’re better than me?” Zuzana shouted, visibly shaking from anger.

“You misunderstand me. I’m saying that _you_ are not better than _me_ or any of the villagers here.” 

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Zuzana roared and leaped at Carter, only to have an arrow shoot into his heart. He faltered, confused, and tumbled onto the ground. Bre and Ben came out of their hiding place, Sequiera following close behind. Ben had another arrow in his hands, the bow pulled back in warning. 

Zuzana’s eyes flicked between the four of them. “You set me up with a trap.” 

“Of course I did, idiot. I wasn’t going to fight you with just a staff. I was taunting you, obviously. You would think a demon would know better than to fall for such simple taunts, but alas,” Carter shrugged nonchalantly. Zuzana looked torn between throwing himself at Carter once more or preserving his life. 

“Leave this village and it’s children alone, Zuzana,” Bre commanded.

“Oh yeah? And how would an elf like you stop me?” Zuzana asked, pushing himself up. 

“I shot you with a regular arrow,” Ben said. “The arrow I have right now is coated in demon blood.” Carter waved cheerfully. “It will surely kill you. Which do you value more: your life or your pride?”

“I smelled a kitsune earlier. Are they with you, too?” 

A fox padded gracefully towards them from inside a now-empty house. She was a reddish-brown and had no mouth, but she walked with a certain grace that was only seen in a shapeshifter comfortable in their regular form. The fox only had five tails, a testament to how young Sydney was. A small white ball hovered just above her tail. Carter was almost impressed with such little regard Sydney gave this demon, to have her hoshi no tama visible and vulnerable. She clearly did not think he was a threat of any kind. 

“Do not dodge the question, Zuzana,” Sequiera spoke carefully, acknowledging Sydney with a simple nod. “You swear an oath to leave this village alone.”

“Swear an oath?” Zuzana repeated, his hand hovering over a sword sheath, now fully standing up. 

“With me,” Bre said, stepping forward and putting away one of her sickles. “I am an elf, after all. I _do_ know how to swear oaths.”

“Oaths that I can’t break, I know.”

He narrowed his eyes at Bre’s offered hand. Carter could see a mental war going on in his head as he weighed the pros and cons of getting murdered and not getting murdered. 

He eventually raised his hand.

And pulled out the arrow in his chest.

Ben released the string, hitting Zuzana straight in the throat. The demon made a strangled gurgling before falling over, limp. Carter moved his foot as blood came spilling out. Bre sighed and lowered her hand.

“Not a lot of people are redemption worthy,” Sydney said, transforming into a human. 

Bre shrugged. “I know that. It’s just disheartening to offer an out and they walk in.”

“The poisonous forest ensnares many,” Carter replied, kicking idly at Zuzana’s head. 

With that, the group walked out of town to the next one before the villagers could fully process what happened. Another town, another monster. 


End file.
